Well it has been a horrible winter so far. It started as i was sitting in my office and started snowing. I was like nice. This is so beautiful. I left office, and the whole road outside my office was grid locked. Also found out the next day that most of the highways were also grid locked. Woke up the next morning to see everything white. It looked beautiful to the say the least. I was happy.
But the snow did not melt for a week, and it had slowly turned to a ice. And every time it melted a fresh layer of snow followed and the cycle continued. With a layer of ice on the road and side walk, cycling and walking became a huge challenge. Every step I took I had to be extra careful, and the back wheel of the cycle was going anywhere but straight. It just got worse when turning. So I had to relearn both the arts (is it right to call it an art?) and I must say it was fun.
The winter seems to be coming to an end. I have had enough of the snow. The last 3 months have been difficult to say the least.
Looking fwd to spring and summer 2010. But i do rialise that the next winter is just 9 months away :(.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Pisa and Florence.
Well my latest trip was to Pisa and Florence. Finally Italy baby!!!!! Have wanted to go the country since the day I landed and must say it was no way disappointing. But the journey to Charleroi was an ordeal. Had to battle some cold wind, snow, delayed bus and a bus which refused to start and get moving once it reached.
Land at Pisa airport and luck finally changed. Got out of the plane had some warmth. Mind you not warm by a summer standard, but warm as in not low single digits. Also the forecast had predicted snow and rain. So that is why I say the luck finally changed.
We headed straight to the famous Leaning Tower from the airport. Had some pizza for lunch and learnt something very interesting. Till a few years back it was frowned upon to eat pizza for lunch in Italy. If there is some community in the world which is as passionate about its food as Indians then they are Italians.
After food clicked a lot of photos of the square on which the tower was. There is not much more to see in Pisa. But I must say, the town looks very similar to an Indian town. But was easily one of the most beautiful squares I have visited so far.
From there we headed to Florence. Upon reaching Florence we had dinner and rested. Next day morning we walked towards the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. The ‘P’arty boy kept insisting that you will be amazed by walking out of a small street and seeing this huge structure. And he was so right. Walked out of a small street, and out of nowhere this huge structure pops up. It just feels so out of place, which became even more evident from the Piazzale Michelangelo ( a high point in the town which gives a good view of the town). It is so much bigger than the surrounding.
From there we headed Uffizi Gallery. I am not a museum kind of a person, so did not enjoy this so much. But the view of the town from one particular window was perfect. The brilliant part about most of the European towns/ cities I have visited is the there is always a river/ stream flowing right through it and they have some of the most beautiful bridges over them. Florence was no different.
We could also climb the dome of the basilica. The view from the top was breath taking. Also since it the highest part of the town, the sun had a direct view. We sat on the sun and enjoyed the view from there. Very peaceful and warm :).
Now for the nit picking part of the trip. The food for as good as it was, it was also equally pricy. I would say same rate as Leuven for a meal. I was expecting it to be a tad cheaper as was the case from my previous trip to the Canary Islands.
But over all a wonderful trip with a wonderful group of people. Let me exploration of Europe continue.
Land at Pisa airport and luck finally changed. Got out of the plane had some warmth. Mind you not warm by a summer standard, but warm as in not low single digits. Also the forecast had predicted snow and rain. So that is why I say the luck finally changed.
We headed straight to the famous Leaning Tower from the airport. Had some pizza for lunch and learnt something very interesting. Till a few years back it was frowned upon to eat pizza for lunch in Italy. If there is some community in the world which is as passionate about its food as Indians then they are Italians.
After food clicked a lot of photos of the square on which the tower was. There is not much more to see in Pisa. But I must say, the town looks very similar to an Indian town. But was easily one of the most beautiful squares I have visited so far.
From there we headed to Florence. Upon reaching Florence we had dinner and rested. Next day morning we walked towards the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. The ‘P’arty boy kept insisting that you will be amazed by walking out of a small street and seeing this huge structure. And he was so right. Walked out of a small street, and out of nowhere this huge structure pops up. It just feels so out of place, which became even more evident from the Piazzale Michelangelo ( a high point in the town which gives a good view of the town). It is so much bigger than the surrounding.
From there we headed Uffizi Gallery. I am not a museum kind of a person, so did not enjoy this so much. But the view of the town from one particular window was perfect. The brilliant part about most of the European towns/ cities I have visited is the there is always a river/ stream flowing right through it and they have some of the most beautiful bridges over them. Florence was no different.
We could also climb the dome of the basilica. The view from the top was breath taking. Also since it the highest part of the town, the sun had a direct view. We sat on the sun and enjoyed the view from there. Very peaceful and warm :).
Now for the nit picking part of the trip. The food for as good as it was, it was also equally pricy. I would say same rate as Leuven for a meal. I was expecting it to be a tad cheaper as was the case from my previous trip to the Canary Islands.
But over all a wonderful trip with a wonderful group of people. Let me exploration of Europe continue.
Violence News it is
Has news reporting become all about reporting violence. The top 3 headlines on today's news were all on violence all as a result stupid govt policies. What can we do about it?
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